Celebrate the darker side of Bollywood with a season of Bollywood Horror at the ICA including the London premiere of Zibahkhana – Hell’s Ground Pakistan’s first gore movie on 18th August.

From 17 – 31 August, seven Bollyhorrors will be screened at the ICA charting the rise of the Horror genre from the south Asian movie industry. The classic ghost tale Mahal (The Palace – 1949), kicks off this season that takes us through to the 70’s and 80’s with murderous revenge thriller Nagin (The Female Snake - 1976 TBC) and the best of Bollywoods answer to Wes Craven; Shyam and Tulsi Ramsay’s films Purana Mandir (The Old Temple - 1984) unleashing Bollywood’s first homegrown monster and Bandh Darwaza (Closed Door - 1990) their homage to the Dracula stories. Demonic possessions come in the form of Bhoot (Ghost -2003) drawing inspiration from the Exorcist and Darna Mana Hai (2003). All culminating in an Exclusive preview of the first gore movie to come out of Pakistan Zibahkhana – Hell’s Ground(2006).

Pakistan’s first gore film Zibahkhana – Hell’s Ground is the first modern horror film to be shot in Pakistan. Made on a shoestring budget and breaking all of the rules of local productions Hells Ground unleashes a new generation of film making talent on audiences. Five teens get lost on their way to a rock concert, are menaced by flesh eating mutations and then fall into the clutches of a family of backwoods killers. The film includes copious amounts of gore alongside a splattering of social commentary and several slices of dark humour.

Six friends get stranded in a dense forest after their car breaks down. They find an abandoned ruin, light a bonfire and therein begins the backdrop for each of them to share their own ghoulish stories with each other. From a husband trying to shock his wife, a schoolteacher spooked by a mysterious turnaround in an underperforming pupil to a bizarre hitchhiking experience. All these stories are underpinned by the mysterious disappearances of each of the friends throughout the night. Featuring Shilpa Shetty, Saif Ali Khan, Samira Reddy and Nana Patekar.

Directed by Prawal Rawan, India, 2003.

Bhoot

A young couple; Vishal & Swati move into their ideal home on the 12 floor of the high rise. Undeterred by the discovery that the previous tenant was a woman who killed her son and committed suicide. After a while Swati’s strange behaviour begins to change as she is slowly possessed by the malingnant spirit wanting to exact revenge. Loaded with atmospheric sound effects and some surprise scenes that definitely nod to The Exorcist the film, like Darna Mana Hai also departs from adding musical numbers in favour of tension building climaxes.